For most people, Joo Chiat is pretty much synonymous with the trendiest cafes, popular eateries, and vibrant hipster hangouts.
Yet, it’s a rather inconspicuous terraced house that’s been garnering attention lately. Nestled along an alleyway on Tembeling Road is Kopikhoo—a literal hole-in-the-wall takeaway coffee kiosk operated by 73-year-old Paulin Khoo.
If you were to walk past, you might easily miss it—save for its distinctive Peranakan-style wooden window, which sticks out from the back of Paulin’s home.
The chatty barista offers a simple menu, with drinks including Americanos and lattes starting from S$3.50.
But why start a coffee kiosk at 73?
Paulin lives with her son Nicholas Khoo and his family in their two-storey, six-room home. When asked why they decided to start the venture, Nicholas shared they wanted to give Paulin something fulfilling to do during her retirement.
Paulin, who retired in 2005 after a career as a preschool teacher, has spent the years since caring for her five grandchildren. Now that they’ve grown older, Nicholas came up with the idea for his mother to run Kopikhoo, taking inspiration from other cafes in the area.
“We thought [starting Kopikhoo] would be a good way to keep her active,” said Nicholas. “She enjoys meeting and talking to people, and she loves the idea especially since it’s from the comfort of our home.”
To set up Kopikhoo, the family spent one month on renovations, and another on planning and perfecting their coffee recipes.
We asked the kids to help come up with the logo, and my eldest daughter came up with the winning design.
The renovation was quite straightforward too—we had help from a previous cafe owner who sold us his coffee machine on exactly what we needed, like where to place the water point, electric point, and other essentials.
Nicholas Khoo
All in all, it set them back about S$9,000, with S$6,000 going towards renovation costs and S$3,000 for the coffee machine.
She has mastered the precise measurements of their recipes
Paulin learnt to brew coffee from her son Nicholas—though the 48-year-old works in marketing, he picked up coffee-making during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, she was initially hesitant. Paulin was “very scared” when her son first introduced her to the “unfamiliar and complex” coffee machine, and the 73-year-old had also long avoided coffee due to her gastric issues.
“The key challenge was making sure that our coffee is produced consistently,” said Nicholas. “At 73 years old, it’s really about having a simple system of preparation that can be replicated across all drinks, and to have a simple menu that is easy to calculate and prepare.”
After a month of practice, Paulin has mastered the precise measurements of their recipes. Though she can’t drink too much coffee, she still made it a point to sip some in the process of perfecting her recipe.
We also started with a soft launch in mid-July and sold tasting cups for S$2 each for my mum to practise and test out the machine—that was very helpful as it gave her a lot of confidence.
Nicholas Khoo
They sell an average of 50 cups of coffee every day
The business officially opened on September 25, which also happens to be Paulin’s birthday. She currently runs the shop by herself on weekdays, while Nicholas and his family pitch in on weekends and occasionally during the week.
“On weekends or after school, the kids help out from time to time,” said Nicholas. “My wife and I, on the other hand, provide support when it comes to managing Kopikhoo’s social media, inventory, and financing, so it frees up time for my mum to focus on running the business and building relationships with the community—the community around us, after all, is our main support pillar.”
Though the business had a slow start with “very little” foot traffic, Nicholas shared that it was his mum’s persistence in reaching out to passersby at their window that helped the business pick up.
Thereafter, we gained more support as our fans posted us on TikTok, and with media firms increasing our exposure. I think, initially, we were selling roughly 30 cups a day and now it has grown to about 50 cups a day.
Nicholas Khoo
While they haven’t made any profit yet—breaking even for material costs and a “limited salary” for Paulin would require the kiosk to sell about 100 cups of coffee per day—the Khoos remain optimistic.
“We are working hard towards it,” said Nicholas. Once the business stabilises, Kopikhoo is looking to introduce a simple food takeaway menu that will pair well with their coffees.
“We might also review our price structure by end of this year again,” he added. “But for now, we will try our best to keep prices affordable so that our regulars can come back for more without feeling a dent in in their pockets.”
Beyond financial goals, Nicholas hopes that Paulin will inspire both the younger generations as well as people of her generation to “be entrepreneurial and experience life—to just try”.
For Nicholas, the most rewarding part of this journey has been witnessing his mother’s resilience and uncovering her entrepreneurial spirit. “I would not have seen this side of her if not for Kopikhoo,” he shared.
And as for the kids, watching their grandma in action from the back of our kitchen has definitely shaped their understanding of what entrepreneurship is really about—at any age, nothing is impossible when it comes to running a business or pursuing a passion. You just have to break the norms and take the path less travelled.
Nicholas Khoo
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Featured Image Credit: Nicholas Khoo/ yhh.photo via Instagram
